I think plastic surgery indicates some serious flaws. Personally, I have had a couple of people who cut my hair say, "how about some color"? I understand it's common, and they want to increase sales, but just doesn't compute with me. Why would I want to color my hair?

I think plastic surgery indicates some serious flaws. Personally, I have had a couple of people who cut my hair say, "how about some color"? I understand it's common, and they want to increase sales, but just doesn't compute with me. Why would I want to color my hair?

Same. I've got some nice grays coming in but I figure unless they make me look like a skunk, it's not a problem at all. Then again, I don't live in Malibu or whatever...

Pop Quiz: Perry Farrell on his new supergroup, Bill Graham ties and ‘unplugging"
Aidin Vaziri | on November 20, 2018

Even with Jane’s Addiction on hiatus, Perry Farrell seems to have a million things going on.

The wiry frontman and Lollapalooza co-founder, who turns 60 next year, is currently working on building a $90 million Las Vegas immersive reality experience called Kind Heaven, which is set to open in 2020.

He’s also putting the finishing touches on a new album by his latest outfit, Kind Heaven Orchestra, which includes drummer Matt Chamberlain (Soundgarden) and bassist Chris Chaney (Jane’s Addiction). The album features guest contributions by Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters), Tommy Lee (Motley Crue), Peter Distefano (Porno for Pyros), Dhani Harrison and Elliot Easton (the Cars), and co-production by David Bowie associate Tony Visconti

The band is scheduled to make its official live debut at the Fillmore in San Francisco on Sunday, Dec. 2, as part of a gala celebrating the inaugural Bill Graham Festival of Lights. Farrell spoke to The Chronicle from his home in Los Angeles.

A: Well, obviously, the first connection I had with Bill Graham was performing up in San Francisco for Bill Graham Presents. We always had great shows in San Francisco, even when we were in small little clubs, but especially when we got to Lollapalooza size.

I’ll never forget the way that the man took such great care with the shows and patrons. In 1997, I was invited to the menorah lighting by Bill Graham’s Rabbi Yosef Langer. At that menorah lighting, I met Bill’s son Alex, and we became DJ partners and best friends as well. We’re all family.

Q: Now you’re coming back to do it again. What does the menorah lighting mean to you?

A: What I dig about the menorah being lit outdoors, for the public to come and dig it and enjoy it, is really that menorah represents our tree of life that we are represented on.

It’s not just a Jewish thing. It’s how man — his motives, love and kindness, the emotions that he has — are represented on that menorah. So when we light it to the public, we are celebrating ourselves. We’re celebrating our life.

Q: You are a partner in the Kind Heaven project that’s going to open in Las Vegas on New Year’s Day 2020. Do you feel the same sense of excitement you had around the launch of Lollapalooza?

A: Yeah, for sure. It’s going to create an entirely new platform for musicians. Las Vegas is the first place, but it’s not the last. We have ideas and intentions to go around the world with it. It’s all about what you can do with the light and storytelling when you have an environment you can control.

I was at a concert recently with two people who are from my era, and they’ve only gotten better, but the room where they were playing bummed me out. I just saw these four walls and seats. It was too big.

You went through punk rock and you know how fun it was when you’re in a room and everybody’s rubbing up against each other. You studied people’s fashion and their attitudes and you looked at it. I’m looking to bring that intimacy back to the music scene.

Q: With all these ideas going through your head, do you ever unplug?

A: I do. I really do have to disappear sometimes. I almost can’t take it. This happened recently — I’m talking yesterday.

We’re living through these fires and this awful, depressing news cycle. I’m a newshound, and I watch the news religiously. I’m trying so hard to do this project and staying in touch with that, and then I’ve got my kids. But the news really sets me over the edge. I’m hearing these terrible things every damn day. It really wipes me out, man. I’m not kidding. I ducked out.

Q: When was the last time you kicked up your feet and just watched bad TV?

A: You want me to tell you about one of my shows that is the dorkiest show I like? “90 Day Fiancé.” But that’s depressing too, because you’re basically watching two people use each other by promising love when you can see there’s no love there. I can’t take my eyes off of it.

Blockchain? Messianic era? Bring heaven to Las Vegas?
I don't know what to think about this project, but some people will lost his money.

Perry is not in a healthy mental state, don't know what happen to him, but he is a singer and his voice has gone long time ago.

If I were him I should start to worry.

That poor interviewer...
I think they're only mentioning blockchain because that interview is at some shitty cryptocurrency conference. Clearly it was set up by some PR idiot before the bottom fell out of that market.

The Messianic thing isn't new for Perry, it's the stuff he was messing with in the SYTBS era -- pretty straightforward Kabbalah stuff, but with a weird corporate / LV / Liberace vibe.

This is all typical Perry stuff, ideas and themes. 20+ years ago, it would have been exciting to consider. Now it's being filtered through his old man brain and it comes together poorly. He's very luck to have Lollapalooza money to finance his life and goofy ideas.

I checked with the Fillmore BO about a month ago to see how well the show had been selling - after having been on sale for about a week, it was halfway sold. The venue is still trying to promote the show, so I suspect there are still quite a few tickets left, but the room won't be completely empty.

A hair over 600 tickets sold... there could be a decent amount of walk up sales tonight, but on a cold December Sunday night I wouldn't bet on it...

Same set list as last night... literally just crossed out the LA venue and wrote in The Fillmore.

Perry and Etty were last to arrive for sound check, but I was impressed that they at least showed. Perry actually seemed cool, started by making fun of himself for apparently starting a song in the wrong key the other night, asking for help so that he'd never do that again. For all appearances, it seems like Chaney is de facto band leader, as all the soundcheck discussion was between Perry and Chaney with the FOH engineer. Etty fussed over the backup singer/dancers during rehearsal, but as they are limited to mostly just hand movements and side to side steps it's not particularly interesting nor does it add to the performance that I could see.

I finished early and left before doors... rather be home with the family than stick around for the show.